Classroom Etiquette: A Guide for the Well-Intentioned
Instructor*

Even the most well-intentioned people make
mistakes. As instructors, one of our jobs is to make the classroom a place
where all learners feel confident enough to participate. This involves
challenging our own assumptions as well as those of our students. One way to do
this is to be aware of subtle behaviors that make some students feel unwelcome
or excluded. The following points were developed by some faculty colleagues at
ISU, and I have a challenge for students in my courses. If I do something
inconsistent with any of the 15 points below, if you will tell me (and we agree
that I this is true), I will give you extra credit. I encourage students to
call me on any such transgressions immediately and in class so that we can
discuss this openly. Be aware that I will sometimes purposely make a statement inconsistent
with the principles below over the course of the semester just to remind
students of this challenge. Please, I encourage your assistance in helping me
ensure that I adhere to the following principles.

1) Everyone has
race, ethnicity, gender and nationality. Hillary Clinton is just as ethnic as Maya
Angelou. To think of persons who are not of European descent as exotic or
ethnic reinforces the idea that whites are the norm and all other are defined
in comparison to this standard.

2) Don't mention
a student's race unless it is relevant to what you're talking about. Unless you are making a point
in which race is relevant, think about whether or not racially labeling is
necessary.

3) Don't ask
African-American, Latina/o, Jewish, Gay/Lesbian, Italian-American etc. students
to speak for the people of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation,
or nationality. No
one wants the responsibility of having what they say being taken to be
representative of the entire race, religion, or ethnic group. Students may also
be uncomfortable having to defend their race, class, or sexual orientation.

4) Don't assume
racial-ethnic students know their history. You wouldn't call on a white
woman and ask her to tell you about Susan B. Anthony because she is a white
woman. Don't assume that Black students would know biographical information
about Malcolm X. (It does not follow that racial-ethnic students are not
knowledgeable about their own lives and conditions. Instructors should not try
to speak for them on these grounds).

5) Don't ask
students of color to educate the class on racism. Don't ask women to educate the
class on sexism. Don't ask gay/lesbian or bi-sexual students to educate
straight students on homophobia, unless they volunteer, or unless you know the
student well enough to ask them. These are everyone's issues.

6) Avoid
stereotypes in hypothetical examples, unless you make it clear that you
are using this example as a pedagogical tool. Not all African-Americans are
on welfare, live in Ghettos, or work in the service industries. Not all Arabs
are terrorists. Not all Doctors are "he". Not all single parents are
"she." Not all Latinas/os speak Spanish.
Not all whites are privileged or rich. HIV and AIDS are not confined to the
gay/lesbian community.

7) Learn student's
names and how to pronounce them. Don't Anglicize names unless the student does also. You
might ask students if they Anglicize their name.

8) Keep your
audience in mind when preparing lectures and assignments. Don't assume that you will be
speaking to a homogeneous group of people. Not all students live in dorms, are
supported by their parents , or own computers. Some
students work, some have children, some come from single parent households, and
some commute. Don't assume that a student's college experience is a reflection
of your own. Check your assumptions about students. You may want to consider
this when you plan projects or assign extra credit.

9) Be aware of
non-verbal behavior between students and yourself. Are you calling on men more
than women? Do you/other students tune out, or talk when students of
color/returning students speak? Who is talking in the class? Do you feel that
students silence themselves in your class? Are students rolling their eyes when
one of their classmates speaks? Failure to address these behaviors contributes
to a chilly classroom climate for some students.

10) Don't let
racist, sexist, or homophobic language and comments in the class discussion or
essays go unnoticed.Do comments of students have racist/sexist/homophobic undertones?
Ask students what evidence they have for their beliefs and to question their
presumptions. No name calling.

11) If your classes
are small, spread your eye contact around. At the same time, don't just address Black
students during discussion about slavery or civil rights. Don't focus on the
Jewish students if you are speaking about the Holocaust or Pogroms. Don't
address comments on reproductive rights and sexual harassment only to women.
Don't address questions of immigration to , Latinos,
Haitians, etc.

12) People are
not hermaphrodites. Individuals are not he/she. Vary your examples using
"he" and "she". If sex/gender is ambiguous, then use the
plural.

13) When
possible integrate questions of difference into your course content and class
discussions.
This does not mean adding a few authors of color, or women writers/scientists.
Putting issues of diversity in separate units on the syllabus sends a message
to students that issues of race, class, and sex separable from the main course
content and have no place in discussions of the American Revolution, moral
theory, Realist paintings, or scientific revolutions. If possible try to
integrate issues of diversity into your main course content.

14) If you take
attendance don't just notice that the students with disabilities,
or students of color are absent.

15) Make it
clear that your classroom is a place where all voices can be heard and that you
make mistakes too.

*With apologies to Amoja Three Rivers whose pamphlet title is "Cultural
Etiquette: A Guide For the Well-Intentioned."